The former United States ambassador James W. Pardew served as the U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria from 2002 to 2005 and passed away in 2021; he was honoured with the dedication of Ambassador James Pardew Street on October 27, during a ceremony in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria.
The Friends of Doctors Garden NGO requested to rename a street in Sofia as Ambassador James Pardew Street, the New Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Academy Marian, the current U.S. ambassador Herro Mustafa, America for Bulgaria Foundation, Junior Achievement Bulgaria, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria all expressed their support in writing.
The name of any U.S. ambassador has never before been given to a street in Bulgaria. The broad, kilometre-long street runs next to Sofia Tech Park. According to Mustafa, the significance of the roadway and its proximity to Sofia Tech Park make it a representation of modernity, innovation, and a location for growth that all democracies desire.
In addition to Mustafa, other speakers were also present during the ceremony Boni Bonev of the Friends of Doctors Garden, Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova, and Paul Pardew, who was in Bulgaria with his wife Kelly for the occasion.
Nancy Schiller, the president of America for Bulgaria; Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in Sofia; Stefan Dimitrov, a member of the Friends of Doctors Garden, and leaders and representatives of the New Symphony Orchestra, Junior Achievement Bulgaria, Ballet Academy Marian, the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, among many other organisations and people, were present. They all admired Pardew and his wife Kathy’s role during the crisis.
At the opening ceremony, Hristov Bonev stated that Pardew displayed a deep attachment to Bulgaria and its citizens. From 2002 to 2005, James W. Pardew served as the American ambassador to Bulgaria, during which time Bulgaria finished the E.U. accession process and became a full member of NATO.
Additionally, Bulgaria worked closely with the U.S. to establish a joint military training facility and destroy missiles and other Cold War-era military hardware. A new $70 million U.S. Embassy compound in Sofia was also completed under the direction of Ambassador Pardew.
